The present invention provides a technique of obtaining a high metal powder content aluminum composite body, in which the numbers of cracks and defects are small and a metal content ratio is high, by impregnating a preform with an Al alloy or the like at a high pressure or by causing an Al alloy or the like to infiltrate without pressurization into a preform. This technique can be provided by establishing a preparation technique of obtaining a uniform preform of a metal powder in which the filling rate of the metal powder can be increased and there are no defects in the inside thereof. The present invention provides a method for producing a high metal powder content aluminum composite body, wherein: in a preform preparation step, two or more materials each having a different particle size are selected from metal powder materials having a particle size of 1 to 200 ?m; a molded product obtained from a material obtained by adding and mixing an organic/inorganic binder to these metal raw materials is calcined at a temperature of 300? C. or higher to obtain a preform having a metal raw material content ratio of 55 v % or more; and the obtained preform is impregnated with a molten metal of an aluminum alloy or the like at a high pressure, or a molten metal of an aluminum alloy or the like is caused to infiltrate without pressurization into the obtained preform. The present invention also provides a composite body obtained by these production methods, and a method for preparing the preform.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, a method includes creating ink specimens. The method includes solidifying, via solvent evaporation, the ink specimens to identify Ni powders and Ti powders. The method includes debinding and pre-sintering the Ni powders and the Ti powders to form a porous NiTi skeleton. The method includes infiltrating the porous NiTi skeleton with a transient liquid. The method includes reaction sintering the NiTi of the porous NiTi skeleton and the Sn to reactively form TiNiSn. Ternary-phase thermoelectric materials formed by the method are also provided.

An improved planetary gear carrier assembly is disclosed including a carrier and a ring. The carrier has a hub extending in an axial direction. The hub has splines on a radially-outward facing surface that extend in an axial direction and further has a first set of groove sections on the radially-outward facing surface in which the first set of groove sections extends circumferentially around the hub and through the splines. The ring is received around the hub of the carrier and has splines on a radially-inward facing surface. The splines in the ring are received in the first set of groove sections by axially nesting the splines of the carrier and ring into one another and then angularly rotating the ring relative to the carrier. With the splines of the ring twisted in the groove sections of the carrier, the ring can be axially restricted relative to the carrier.

An improved planetary gear carrier assembly is disclosed including a carrier and a ring. The carrier has a hub extending in an axial direction. The hub has splines on a radially-outward facing surface that extend in an axial direction and further has a first set of groove sections on the radially-outward facing surface in which the first set of groove sections extends circumferentially around the hub and through the splines. The ring is received around the hub of the carrier and has splines on a radially-inward facing surface. The splines in the ring are received in the first set of groove sections by axially nesting the splines of the carrier and ring into one another and then angularly rotating the ring relative to the carrier. With the splines of the ring twisted in the groove sections of the carrier, the ring can be axially restricted relative to the carrier.

Ultra-hard constructions comprise polycrystalline diamond-body having a first metallic substrate attached thereto, and having a second metallic substrate attached to the first metallic substrate. The first and second substrates each comprise a first hard particle phase, e.g., WC, and a second binder material phase, e.g., Co, wherein the hard particles in the second substrate are sized larger than those in the first substrate. The first substrate may contain a larger amount of binder material than the second substrate. Constructed in this matter, the first substrate is engineered to facilitate sintering diamond body during HPHT conditions, while the second substrate is engineered to provide an improved degree of erosion resistance when placed in an end-use application. The construction may be formed during a single HPHT process. The second substrate may comprise 80 percent or more of the combined thickness of the first and second substrates.

Ultra-hard constructions comprise polycrystalline diamond-body having a first metallic substrate attached thereto, and having a second metallic substrate attached to the first metallic substrate. The first and second substrates each comprise a first hard particle phase, e.g., WC, and a second binder material phase, e.g., Co, wherein the hard particles in the second substrate are sized larger than those in the first substrate. The first substrate may contain a larger amount of binder material than the second substrate. Constructed in this matter, the first substrate is engineered to facilitate sintering diamond body during HPHT conditions, while the second substrate is engineered to provide an improved degree of erosion resistance when placed in an end-use application. The construction may be formed during a single HPHT process. The second substrate may comprise 80 percent or more of the combined thickness of the first and second substrates.